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Limbo: Year 1
After the 'fight', which was more.. well, one-sided, honestly, Piotr returns to the royal chambers and takes a seat heavily. He knows he probably should have told Keiko before he did that - but he also knows that the demons may have smelled the ruse. It was better this way, he convinced himself.
Taking out a small notebook, he makes a mark in it before he takes a few notes to try to gather his thoughts on the matter.
There's also a few drawings in there - Piotr has been keeping track of the changes of himself and Keiko, making notes on the way her tattoos and demeanor have changed, and he works on writing down his morning thoughts.
Piotr is there a while before he hears the bootfalls in the hallway outside and the door to the room opens. Keiko is looking tense, her eyes are flashing and that brand on her torso is still glowing.
Maybe not as brightly as it had been, but brightly enough.
"I've come to get my things." Not that she has much really. "Given this is your chamber." Where she'll sleep, she doesn't know. There's a couple of other rooms in this 'wing'.
Without waiting for permission, the sullen peruvian stomps into the room, moving about it to collect what she came for.
Standing up as she arrives, Piotr moves to stand in the way of the firey preuvian. "I had to do that, Keiko. You wanted to start a war, they have to believe it." he starts to explain, his hand reaching out for her, but it stops as he frowns at her.
"Uz'gaun believes that we are on the outs - he offered to find a new Queen." he comments with a glance towards her - he remains in his human form around her. Even with that glowing mark on her skin.
"Uz'gaun offered to eat me." Keiko mutters stopping when Piotr stands in her way. She watches his hand as it moves towards and stops, not moving out of his way at all. "And you called me useless."
Whether it makes sense or not, Keiko is still angry. She's actually hurt but too damn proud to admit it.
"Well it worked. Are you happy?" He can see her eyes flashing, literally. They seem to be lit by a glow from within. "You can have new Queen if you want one."
"I had to convince him that K'nert's plan is doomed to fail." Piotr responds as he searches her eyes. While her's glow his are that empty blue that formed when he touched the soul-steel hilt. "I wanted him to take you home." he admits quietly.
"I do not /want/ a new Queen, Keiko." And he stops short, returning the look to her as he steps forward, closing the distance between the pair of them. "But I know you don't want to be here anymore than I do. And if we have to do this to get at least /one/ of us free, I would rather it be you!"
"Why on earth … Limbo … did you think he would take me home? I'm a tool. A tool for you, a tool for them. If the tool is broken and not fixable, they'll destroy it."
This place they've found themselves in is dangerous. Cruel and heartless and it doesn't conform to the rules that Piotr, at least, is used to. Keiko might have a slightly better understanding about a small portion of it, but even to her the rules are confusing.
Or simple. Don't show weakness at all.
"I don't want to be here, Piotr. I want to be out looking for Illyana. I want to be home in my own dank room, even if it smells. But they're not letting us out, ever."
She doesn't move when he steps forward. Just draws herself up to her full 5' tall and crosses her arms. It's a challenge in many ways. Ways he couldn't accept in front of his demons. Ways Illyana would have driven her to knees to prove the point.
It's maddening. /She's/ maddening. "You think I want to be here? K'nert is right about only one thing. There has to be someone of the blood here. Otherwise, Bellasco may come walking back in." And neither of them want that.
And then she draws herself up to her full height and challenges him.
His eyes flash as he steps forward. His arm - that tattooed and marked arm that was corrupted by the energies of Limbo grabs her by the throat. He could crush her. He could bring her suffering to an end right here and now. But he can't show weakness.
And that would prove a weakness. And he's not weak. She's pushed him, claimed that he was an animal - or wanted to be an animal. Maybe it's exactly what she needs right now as instead of snapping her neck, he pulls her forward and presses his mouth against hers. Hard.
"You act like it. Go Keiko, I'll stay. If I didn't know better you're enjoying this." She's seen his response to her, particularly after her clothes changed and made her into a 'bad girl'.
Violence she can deal with. She's lived with it for whole life. She knows too she's pushed too hard when his eyes flash dangerously but she doesn't step back. Not that she could.
His hand forces her chin up, forces her to meet his eyes. The challenge is there, she doesn't need to speak it. Kill me. She'll meet her end, fighting.
Her eyes widen as he tugs her forward and their lips meet. The small peruvian actually gasps in surprise. She doesn't exactly respond immediately but she doesn't fight either.
After several moments, the kiss breaks. And he releases her. "Then stay." Piotr says to the small woman. Because killing her is not going to be an option on the table tonight. His hand drops to the side, and he moves out of the way.
She can leave. She can stay. He made his thought on it known.
Keiko responds, just before the kiss ends, arms unfolding and coming to rest on his shoulders. She drags in a breath when he releases her, arms falling to her side when he steps away. The anger isn't all gone but it's not incandescent now. The brand on her torso dulls a little bit more.
"I didn't say I was going." she snarks. "Are you telling me I'm welcome in your chambers?" she's watching his lips though, as her fingers touch her own. That's one confused little peruvian in front of him.
She /did/ say she was going, and now she's asking that. Of course, this would have to be the confusing part of all of this. Piotr felt the warmth of her arms on his shoulders for a moment - and then she asks him.
"You were never /not/ welcomed, Keiko." he snaps back at her, and reaches up to rub a hand over his face and through his hair. "Gods damned, I don't want to be here anymore than you do. But I don't want to be away from you, either."
Maybe she did or maybe she was responding to what she thought was a question. Keiko's relationship with English is a … passing … one. She can't leave, so what she wanted is nearly moot anyway.
"You called it your chambers. " she mutters, turning her slitted eyes up to look at Piotr. "What do you mean, you don't want to be away from me? I can look after myself."
The peruvian sits on the edge of the bed, looking confused and lost. There's still the anger there but it's fading fast.
Sighing, Piotr shakes his head. "You can be maddenly frustrating at times." he points out the obvious to Keiko - surely it's not the first time that she's been paid that particular compliment. Heading over to the bed, he sits next to her.
"I should have told you." It's not an apology, but it's close. "It was a spur of the moment decision. You were doing well, though. I can help you learn if you want." His hand moves to settle on her leg, giving her a little squeeze. "It is our chambers. But we need Uz'gaun to assume we're having problems if he wants to be spurred into action."
No, it's not the first time Keiko's been told that. Illyana had even told her she needed to temper it. "Learn what? How to fight with someone? I think I have that handled." She's grumbles. "It worked, that's all that matters. I can scream at you in public again, if you want."
She doesn't shift to put room between them when Piotr joins her on the bed. She doesn't apologise - she won't, not here. She doesn't usually, anyway.
When he squeezes her leg, she glances with the smallest frown. "So you think we should just keep fighting when he sees us. And we won't have to make like goats?"
"I'm not going to make you do that, Keiko." comes Piotr's response as he lets out a breath. Perhaps it's the look she gives him that causes him to pull away from her. "We can argue, if that's what you want. I just wanted to plant the seed in his head to make him think there was a chance."
"You know.. eventually the Khal did fall in love with the Khalessi and saw her as an equal." he points out to her as he starts to move to get back to his feet.
"You don't have to move. I like you near." Keiko says quietly, putting her hand on Piotrs arm "It's just I'm not used to be touched except for my trials or for punishment." Neither of which are happy or comfortable memories for the spirit caller.
"You're not useless, Piotr and if I could fix your sculpture, I would." that's the closest he's going to get to an apology. "I don't want to argue though."
The look he gets when mentions Game of Thrones again is almost comic. Like the peruvian is trying to work out what he's saying.
The hold on his arm stays him, and Piotr settles back down next to Keiko. "I have no intention to hurt you." he responds to her, before giving a weak smile. "We can get another stone. And try it again. Maybe once we're away from here." He holds onto that flagging hope. How long has it been? He's not even sure himself.
"No argument." he agrees with her. Though her look is amusing, and reach reaches up, this time the touch to her chin is far more gentle as he turns her towards him, and leans in. She has more of a chance to back away this time.
How long has it been? Keiko's not sure. She doesn't pull away when Piotr sits down. "Maybe when we're away from here." She agrees. Will they ever be? What incentive will the demons have if they provide an heir?
"I'll try to remember that." Her chin tilts up and she stills, not pulling away and catseye gleaming.
Those are the same thoughts that Piotr's having, the same fears. But there's one fear he doesn't have.
And that's kissing her. His mouth presses to hers again, and his hand moves to press into hers, holding onto it as his mind tries to figure out things.